SAN DIEGO — Who knew that a 15-word tweet could make the ground in the Bay Area shake and force multitudes of Giants fans clench their fists in rage?

It came from national writer Ken Rosenthal after pitcher Gerrit Cole agreed to a nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees, and it read: “#dodgers will now shift their focus to free-agent left-hander Madison Bumgarner, sources tell The Athletic.”

Giants fans in a state of apoplexy should know two things, one comforting, one not so much.

One, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said Wednesday that the Giants are still in on Bumgarner and the sides are talking.

Two, the Giants will not outbid the Dodgers just for the sake of keeping Bumgarner out of a blue uniform — unless ownership freaks out and orders it, which is unlikely.

“We are going through the process with all free agents based on where we are as an organization, what our direction is going to be,” Zaidi said. “There are a lot of rumors and a lot of innuendo and a lot of noise. We just have to go based on what we know and the conversations that we we’re having.”

The Giants surely know that Bumgarner is seeking a deal in the neighborhood of five years at $100 million, which the Dodgers, Angels, Twins and other teams might be willing to provide to get the lefty, who is now considered a “second-tier” free-agent starter and a less expensive alternative to the now-signed Cole and Stephen Strasburg.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 30: Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the San Diego Padres in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park on August 30, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images

It’s not clear whether Bumgarner will pick a team before the winter meetings end with Thursday's Rule 5 draft.

Henry Schulman has covered the San Francisco Giants since 1988, starting with the Oakland Tribune and San Francisco Examiner before moving to the San Francisco Chronicle in 1998. His career has spanned the "Earthquake World Series" in 1989 and the Giants' three World Series championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014. In between, he covered Barry Bonds' controversial career with the Giants, including Bonds ' successful quests for home-run records and his place in baseball's performance-enhancing drugs scandal. Known for his perspective and wit, Henry also appears frequently on radio and television talking Giants, and is a popular follow on Twitter.